While Washington D.C. and its surrounding counties is in the midst of a population, development, and infrastructure investment boom, the region farther south and west in the state of Virginia is bleeding population.

A mere day after the Interior Department announced it would permanently block drilling in much of the Arctic Refuge by designating it as wilderness, it proposed allowing drilling in the Gulf, along Atlantic coast, and surprisingly, offshore Alaska.

Resilient communities build on local strengths to anticipate change, reduce the impact of major events, and come back from a blow stronger than ever. Here are seven ideas from cities and towns working to boost local resilience.

A movement at the state and federal levels would take advantage of low oil prices to boost gas taxes to pay for infrastructure. Michigan, Iowa, and Utah proposals, and a change to the federal Corker-Murphy plan, are described below.

RealtyTrac recently released an analysis of fair market rents and median home prices in more than 500 U.S. counties. Among the findings of the report: the real estate markets with the highest share of millennial population.

Some of the most effective solutions in urban design involve the simplest design changes. Revitalizing public housing is difficult, but not impossible, as shown by Ray Gindroz and his team at Urban Design Associates in Norfolk, Virginia. Exclusive

Virginia's new 3.5% wholesales sales tax on motor vehicle fuels is set to increase to 5.1% on Jan.1, not because Congress failed to raise the two-decades-old federal gas tax but for something entirely unrelated to transportation: online sales taxes.

A collection of media coverage since the decision examines how Arlington will achieve its goals now that it voted to end funding for a $333-million plan to build a 7.4-mile streetcar line down Columbia Pike.

A decision by Arlington County to cancel plans for the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar projects has dealt a blow to Fairfax County's redevelopment efforts. The line was expected to open in 2020.